Experienced Associate Professor of Sociology with a demonstrated history of working in higher education. Strong community and social services professional with a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) focused in Sociology from University of Florida.
The existence of graduate labor unions is seen as evidence of the changed and changing nature of ... more The existence of graduate labor unions is seen as evidence of the changed and changing nature of academic economies over the past two decades. To be exact they are seen as a result of academic capitalism and broad trends towards corporatization (Bousquet, 2008; Lafer, 2003; Rhoads & Rhoades, 2005; Slaughter & Rhoades, 2004) whereby institutions of higher education increasingly engage in market-like behaviors and display “the culture, practices, policies, and workforce strategies more appropriate to corporations ” (Steck, 2003, p. 66). This involves adopting “corporate models, cutting costs and seeking profit-making opportunities ” resulting in heavy reliance on private funding for research and expanded commercial influence over academic pursuits (Clay, 2008, p. 11) Within the context of changing academic economies and corporate universities scholars see graduate employee unions as a potential source of resistance and progressive change (Bousquet, 2008; Lafer, 2003; Rhoads & Rhoades,...
The process of constructing reality (the world of meaning) consists of categorizing, naming and t... more The process of constructing reality (the world of meaning) consists of categorizing, naming and typifying. A social construction of gender approach focuses on typifying—characterizing how men and women are different. It assumes that the categories of " male " and " female " are found in the physical world. A social construction of sex approach examines the process of categorizing people into the categories of " male " and " female. " Two types of evidence challenge the privileged status of this construction. 1. The existence of intersexuals, people born with ambiguous genitals. This evidence is often erased by surgery. Martha Coventry, in her account of her clitorectomy at age 6, argues that surgery on children with atypical genitals is " cosmetic " surgery for " esthetic " reasons. 2. The ways people categorize sex—and how they deal with intersexuals—vary by culture.
Institutions of higher education increasingly focus on their economic functions and have adopted ... more Institutions of higher education increasingly focus on their economic functions and have adopted labor force practices that resemble private businesses. One such strategy is a greater reliance on employing graduate students to perform tasks previously done by faculty. Simultaneously, graduate employees have organized labor unions and pushed for rights and benefits other organized workers have sought. This is a practice that should be of concern to human rights sociologists, lest we neglect to critically reflect on the social relations that our work is embedded within, thereby damaging our abilities to champion the oppressed. This case study examines how graduate labor organizers see their efforts as enabling what they call the corporatization of the university in unintended ways. It adds a new dimension to existing scholarship that depicts graduate labor unions as a counter-force to corporatization and businesslike practices in higher education while arguing that graduate unions are...
This new focus on graduate labor organizing comes at a time of transition for both organized labo... more This new focus on graduate labor organizing comes at a time of transition for both organized labor and higher education. Increasingly, American institutions, even public ones—such as universities—are governed by a corporate logic that stresses efficiency and control.1 Within this framework, which elevates the interests of corporations above the public good, unionization has declined in terms of “density, organizing capacity, level of strike activity, and political effectiveness” across most sectors of the workforce. In 2012, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, union members accounted for 11.3 percent of employed wage and salary workers in the U.S., down slightly from 11.8 percent in 2011 and dramatically less than the 20.1 percent in 1983.2 In recent years, issues pertaining to graduate student union organizing have been at the center of several political battles and court cases. This attention is, at least in part, due to the growth of graduate student unions at a time whe...
Teaching Resources and Innovations Library for Sociology
It is common to approach gender, sex, and sexuality together in sociology classes. Oftentimes, we... more It is common to approach gender, sex, and sexuality together in sociology classes. Oftentimes, we initiate our examination of these by articulating how they are different. Still, when we look at textbooks, course titles, and even sections of the American Sociological Association, we see that we continue to link these together. Because of the nuance, and the fact that we commonly experience these as innate parts of our biology, students can struggle to understand how they are distinct constructs yet are also intricately linked together. This activity is a tool for introducing the links among gender, sex, and sexuality in any classroom context. It focuses on how ways of experiencing and expressing sexuality are evaluated based on the biological sex of social actors. It works well at introductory levels as well as in advanced courses on gender, sex, and sexualities. Students are invited to examine an episode of a comedic sitcom, Seinfeld, to identify common ideas about how our ideas of sex, gender, and sexuality inform each other as well as their implications in social life. Learning Goals and Assessments Goal 1: Students will be able to examine and analyze a theoretical text on sex and gender that discusses the social construction of sex and gender.
The existence of graduate labor unions is seen as evidence of the changed and changing nature of ... more The existence of graduate labor unions is seen as evidence of the changed and changing nature of academic economies over the past two decades. To be exact they are seen as a result of academic capitalism and broad trends towards corporatization (Bousquet, 2008; Lafer, 2003; Rhoads & Rhoades, 2005; Slaughter & Rhoades, 2004) whereby institutions of higher education increasingly engage in market-like behaviors and display “the culture, practices, policies, and workforce strategies more appropriate to corporations ” (Steck, 2003, p. 66). This involves adopting “corporate models, cutting costs and seeking profit-making opportunities ” resulting in heavy reliance on private funding for research and expanded commercial influence over academic pursuits (Clay, 2008, p. 11) Within the context of changing academic economies and corporate universities scholars see graduate employee unions as a potential source of resistance and progressive change (Bousquet, 2008; Lafer, 2003; Rhoads & Rhoades,...
The process of constructing reality (the world of meaning) consists of categorizing, naming and t... more The process of constructing reality (the world of meaning) consists of categorizing, naming and typifying. A social construction of gender approach focuses on typifying—characterizing how men and women are different. It assumes that the categories of " male " and " female " are found in the physical world. A social construction of sex approach examines the process of categorizing people into the categories of " male " and " female. " Two types of evidence challenge the privileged status of this construction. 1. The existence of intersexuals, people born with ambiguous genitals. This evidence is often erased by surgery. Martha Coventry, in her account of her clitorectomy at age 6, argues that surgery on children with atypical genitals is " cosmetic " surgery for " esthetic " reasons. 2. The ways people categorize sex—and how they deal with intersexuals—vary by culture.
Institutions of higher education increasingly focus on their economic functions and have adopted ... more Institutions of higher education increasingly focus on their economic functions and have adopted labor force practices that resemble private businesses. One such strategy is a greater reliance on employing graduate students to perform tasks previously done by faculty. Simultaneously, graduate employees have organized labor unions and pushed for rights and benefits other organized workers have sought. This is a practice that should be of concern to human rights sociologists, lest we neglect to critically reflect on the social relations that our work is embedded within, thereby damaging our abilities to champion the oppressed. This case study examines how graduate labor organizers see their efforts as enabling what they call the corporatization of the university in unintended ways. It adds a new dimension to existing scholarship that depicts graduate labor unions as a counter-force to corporatization and businesslike practices in higher education while arguing that graduate unions are...
This new focus on graduate labor organizing comes at a time of transition for both organized labo... more This new focus on graduate labor organizing comes at a time of transition for both organized labor and higher education. Increasingly, American institutions, even public ones—such as universities—are governed by a corporate logic that stresses efficiency and control.1 Within this framework, which elevates the interests of corporations above the public good, unionization has declined in terms of “density, organizing capacity, level of strike activity, and political effectiveness” across most sectors of the workforce. In 2012, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, union members accounted for 11.3 percent of employed wage and salary workers in the U.S., down slightly from 11.8 percent in 2011 and dramatically less than the 20.1 percent in 1983.2 In recent years, issues pertaining to graduate student union organizing have been at the center of several political battles and court cases. This attention is, at least in part, due to the growth of graduate student unions at a time whe...
Teaching Resources and Innovations Library for Sociology
It is common to approach gender, sex, and sexuality together in sociology classes. Oftentimes, we... more It is common to approach gender, sex, and sexuality together in sociology classes. Oftentimes, we initiate our examination of these by articulating how they are different. Still, when we look at textbooks, course titles, and even sections of the American Sociological Association, we see that we continue to link these together. Because of the nuance, and the fact that we commonly experience these as innate parts of our biology, students can struggle to understand how they are distinct constructs yet are also intricately linked together. This activity is a tool for introducing the links among gender, sex, and sexuality in any classroom context. It focuses on how ways of experiencing and expressing sexuality are evaluated based on the biological sex of social actors. It works well at introductory levels as well as in advanced courses on gender, sex, and sexualities. Students are invited to examine an episode of a comedic sitcom, Seinfeld, to identify common ideas about how our ideas of sex, gender, and sexuality inform each other as well as their implications in social life. Learning Goals and Assessments Goal 1: Students will be able to examine and analyze a theoretical text on sex and gender that discusses the social construction of sex and gender.
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